By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
MORE than 21 000 vulnerable residents in Beitbridge District are still waiting to receive grain under the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme (FDMS) for the January to March 2025 cycle, as the programme awaits the release of allocations from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare implements the FDMS programme to support food-insecure rural households by providing monthly grain rations of approximately 7.5kg to 8.5kg per person.
The programme mainly targets vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people living with disabilities and those who are chronically ill.
This year, 21 450 beneficiaries from 15 rural wards in Beitbridge were selected to benefit from the programme following a ward-ranking survey conducted to determine levels of vulnerability and population distribution.
Speaking during a Traditional Leaders Capacity Building Workshop held in Beitbridge on Friday, the district officer for the ministry, Eneresi Enock, said the district was ready to roll out the distribution but was still waiting for grain supplies.
“As a district we are supposed to distribute about 482 metric tonnes of grain under the current cycle. However, the progress has been delayed because we are still waiting for the Grain Marketing Board to release the grain,” she said.
“We have already engaged the GMB on the matter, but we have been informed that the available stocks are currently limited,” she said.
Enock said once the grain is released, the ministry would coordinate distribution through established local structures to ensure it reaches the intended beneficiaries.
She also said the ministry had adjusted its operational approach regarding transportation of the grain.
“In previous years the Ministry used to provide transport for moving grain from GMB depots to distribution points. This year we are encouraging Senators, Members of Parliament, local authority councillors and other well-wishers to mobilise transport using their own resources,” she said.
“These efforts will be closely coordinated through the District Drought Relief Committees, which remain the legally mandated structures responsible for overseeing beneficiary verification and the distribution process,” she said.
Enock appealed to local leadership structures to assist in engaging the GMB to expedite the release of the grain.
“The current distribution covers the January to March period, which is traditionally the peak hunger season in many rural communities. We therefore urge stakeholders, including the Beitbridge Rural District Council (BBRDC) and councillors, to help push for the timely release of the grain so that vulnerable households can receive assistance,” she said.
Responding to the presentation, Oscar Chiromo, who chairs the Beitbridge Rural District Council, said the council would engage relevant authorities to ensure the programme proceeds smoothly.
“As council we take note of the concerns raised regarding the delay in the release of grain. We will follow up with the Grain Marketing Board and other responsible stakeholders to understand the situation and see how the process can be expedited,” he said.
“We will also seek clarification on the reduction in the number of beneficiaries compared to last year, while respecting the vulnerability-based assessment process that was used to determine this year’s allocations,” he said.
Last year the programme reached a significantly larger number of beneficiaries in the district, but officials say the 2025 allocations were guided by vulnerability assessments and available national resources.
Once the grain is released, authorities say distribution will be carried out at designated ward distribution points under the supervision of the District Drought Relief Committees and traditional leadership structures.